Award-winning airline Emirates has bounced back following the Covid travel shutdown with passenger numbers and services back to pre-pandemic levels.
Since the UK’s announcement of the new system for international travel in September, Emirates reported passenger numbers for several winter sun destinations have already reached those last seen in 2019.
Between October 16-31, passenger numbers increased by 69 per cent compared to September 3-16. Bookings for December breaks are above 2019 levels for holiday destinations like Dubai, the Maldives and Mauritius, as well as destinations like Pakistan and Bangladesh, as people plan trips to visit friends and relatives.
By the end of December, Emirates will offer 84 weekly UK flights, making it easier for customers to access the airline's growing global network of more than 120 destinations.
Flights will resume at London Gatwick on December 10, which will be served by the A380. This will operate alongside six daily flights from London Heathrow, two daily flights from Manchester, 10 weekly flights from Birmingham, four weekly flights to Newcastle, and a daily service from Glasgow.
Richard Jewsbury, Emirates UK divisional vice president said: “People are booking the holidays they wish they could have over the last 18 months and, in many cases, are going away for longer to make up for lost time on the beach.
"The pent-up demand we saw when travel restrictions first lifted has continued to gather pace and confidence is definitely growing as people look further ahead for holidays. We’re delighted to be reuniting passengers with friends and relatives as they travel further afield.”
Emirates ' booking data reveals travellers are making up for not being able to get away during the pandemic.
It suggests longer international trips (8-14 days) to Dubai have increased by 11 per cent, and longer trips to the rest of the world are up five per cent, compared to 2019.
More than 40 per cent of bookings for the Christmas period (December 15 to January 15) are for trips longer than 15 days and more than 20 per cent are for 21 days or more.
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